The use of boxes or containers to store and dispense articles, such as, for example tissues, is well known. Some of the advantages of boxes for the storage and dispensing of articles such as tissues include ease of shipping and storage and convenience to the end user. While the convenience of having a readily accessible supply of tissues or other products on hand is apparent, some storage containers can be visually and/or otherwise unappealing. Thus, there has been a need to provide a more aesthetically pleasing container to fit the décor of the room in which the tissues or other products are stored and/or dispensed. This need has resulted in the development of decorative boxes. While decorative boxes have proven to be consumer preferred in many instances, such as, for example, for facial tissues, there is still a need to improve such boxes to provide containers that can better match the overall decorative theme of a particular space. Such improvements might include more preferred graphics and other visual elements, but may also include the addition of olfactory elements as well.
One attempt to meet the desire for facial tissue containers to provide an olfactory element has resulted in the development of a non-disposable facial tissue container and dispenser that is capable of providing an odor to the environment surrounding the container. For example, in JP-11210095, a reusable facial tissue container is provided which includes storage spaces that are built into the lid of the container. The storage spaces allow the user to place a material such as potpourri therein and thus, the scent can be provided to the surrounding environment. One drawback of such a design, however, is the non-disposability of the container. Because the container is non-disposable, it is likely to be a relatively high cost in relation to the products stored therein. Another disadvantage of the non-disposable container is that the fragrant material used to provide the desired scent is separate from the container itself, and thus, is likely purchased and stored separately, adding inconvenience for the user. Additionally, the scent producing material used must be monitored separately from the product stored therein so that it can be changed when the scent is no longer sustained at a level satisfactory to the user.
Another example of a facial tissue container that provides a scent to the surrounding environment is a disposable facial tissue box with a strip of fragrant material disposed on the outside surface of the container, such as the container described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,992. The strip of fragrant material is disclosed to be on the outside face of the container and is covered with a relatively vapor impermeable material so that the fragrant material is conserved when the container is not in use, e.g. prior to purchase by the user. The user must then only remove the cover material to expose the scent producing material to the environment and thus, provide a scent to the environment. Although an improvement over the non-disposable container described above, there are still disadvantages associated with this type of container having the fragrant material disposed on one or more of its outside surfaces. First, because the scent is placed on the outside of the container, there is a possibility that the cover material will be damaged and prematurely expose the volatile fragrant material to the environment. Worse, damage to the cover material could lead to the fragrant material being transferred onto a surface it was not intended to touch, for example, a user's clothing, automobile upholstery or furniture. In addition, because the scented material is applied to the surface of the container as a strip or other carrier material, it may introduce deformities or raised portions to the container that may translate into shipping or storage inefficiencies.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a disposable container for dispensable products that includes a fragrance. It would also be desirable to provide a container that includes decorative indicia and a fragrance. It would also be desirable to provide a container that includes decorative indicia and a fragrance, wherein the decorative indicia and the fragrance are related to each other. Further, it would be desirable to provide a container that includes decorative indicia, a fragrance, and a means for introducing the fragrance to the environment, such as, for example apertures in the container, where the means for introducing the fragrance to the environment is related to the decorative indicia and/or the fragrance.